I've enjoyed this on tap a few times in the Burgh over the last year, snagged a bottle last night on Mount Washington from a cool affordable bottleshop, Packs and Dogs. Pours a murky clouded orange golden nectarine hue with a large flowing cloud of off white head. Aroma has big banana, citrus, and bubblegum flowing forth in the nose, definitely has those love-able German yeast esters. Clove is kicking in the background with just barely a nipple of herbal hop dust. Sturdy flavorful yeast components, sharp wheat sweetness cut with a mild acidic yogurt like tartness, big clove and pink bubblegum balanced with citrus/banana tropical fruit. I like this beer, it's a true hefe brewed on the West Coast, good flowing high end of the carbonation scale with slightly chewy girth to it from the proteins in the yeast sediment. Damn that's a good wheat beer, I really like it ballsy flavorful hefeweizen if there ever was one. (923 characters)

Date tasted: July 6, 2013... Glassware: weizen glass... Occasion: mucho food o at Jim and Maria's annual 4th (6th) of July party....Appearance: thick, foamy head that recedes to a single finger of white cloud; body is sunset orange with thick chunks of sediment sailing up and down its coast--a yeasty depot at the glass's bottom... Aroma: banana and clove, as the bottle promises; yeasts are soft, less doughy than expected... Palate: medium-bodied, teethy impact on the mouth; a pleasant presence that doesn't dominate--acidic, too... Taste: VERY subtly in its profile; the banana acquiesces and the clove is a gentle tickle at the throat--no problems, but not outstanding... Overall: smooth and useful, this hefe is indeed NOT a lemon-suds extravaganza, as its label warns its peers have become; its heft and subtlety make adding a lemon possible but negotiable; can't see this on par with any real German offering, but the price was right.... (946 characters)

Taste - Starts with a modest hint traditional hef flavors, but this is quickly run over steam roller style by a tremendous amount of citric acids; comes across as dirty pineapple, and then it finishes with some serious lemon bite. WTF?

Mouthfeel - Light in body, with an aggressive amount of carbonation... or maybe that's just the acidity nipping at my tongue.

Overall - Fooled by the label. It claims to be a traditional bavarian hef, but the aggressive citric acids suggests anything but. Do they think us dumb? With an honest label, this probably gets a nudge in overall rating, but I'm not going to sit here and give a beer high marks with such a clearly deceptive description. Clearly States it's "Unlike the lemon-laden beers that flood the market under the same name." Funny, that's EXACTLY what it is. (984 characters)

Bottle from Premiere Gourmet. No a great representative of the style, this beer has some spot-on characteristics of the style and some poor ones. Pours unfiltered look, but also light orange with rising carbonation bubbles. Some orange and wheat aroma but also a little stinky. Sour wheat was OK, some sips tasty, but also off notes. A bit thin for the style. I did not finish the bottle. (388 characters)

Picked up a bottle at Abe's Cold Beer. Poured a hazy orange with a medium white head that leaves lacing. Overall, the beer isn't quite on par with the best of Germany, but it's a fine stab at the style. I'd be happy to have a keg at a summer BBQ or brew something similar myself. The flavor is just a touch light, but still a pleasant mix of creamy orange with hint of toasty wheat, earthy hops, and brewers yeast. I'd definitely have another. (443 characters)

From a 22 oz. bomber into a small weizen glass, this beer pours a clear golden straw with a half inch of fizzy head. Retention is less than 30 seconds, with nary a bubble in sight after that. Strikingly clear for a 'Hefe'.

Mostly sweetened banana on the nose, with a hint of wheat. The banana chip comment below is quite appropriate from my view. Just a bit more depth beyond that, but not much. A good swirl will throw off some yeast notes but it is very short lived.

Flavor follows the nose and finishes with a bit more of the sweet banana notes. A lingering sense of ripe banana exists but nothing else. This beer has little body as might have been predicted by the immediate blow off of carbonation. As a result the finish is subpar and the sweetness is overly evident. Little yeast, very little wheat, and the notes of banana are somewhat odd.

The fact that this sells at a premium to other local breweries year round offerings is a bit of a travesty. 'Bavarian style hefeweizen at 5.3% ABV' Surely this bottle may have had some carbonation issues but given other reviews I don't sense that was the case. No markings as for freshness date.

Edit: A fresh bottle bears no resemblance whatsoever to my original experience, perhaps the new downtown brew house has a bit more control? Pour is your typical hazed golden now from a 22 oz. bottle. Retention is enhanced as well. Aroma is classic yet subtle. Still a bit light in feel but much more enjoyable in the end.

Pours a golden cloudy amber with a small quickly fading white head. Aroma and Taste of sweet fruits, banana, wheat with some yeast, mild bitterness. A medium body, crisp mouth feel with good carbonation on the palate. Finishes with sweet fruity notes, some banana, wheat and yeast flavors with light bitterness on the end for balance. Overall a good, crisp and refreshing session ale. (384 characters)